In the Blood
by Yemi Hikari
Summary: Meeting the clone of the original Robin does not make Terry's day in more ways than one.


_Disclaimer – I don't own Young Justice, Batman or Batman Beyond. This is my fifth story for Write to Rank for the Action continuing the theme of using my alternative origin story for Terry. The goal for the fifth round was to write a one-shot 1-1.2k which incorporated both the action and sci-fi genre. This was the result._

 **In the Blood**

" _I'll be fine._ "

Terry sounded so sure of himself when he uttered those words. Bruce simply raised an eyebrow, indicating no, he did not think the current Batman would be fine unless the man was monitoring every action the teen took. However, Bruce found himself needed at a rather important meeting, one Terry could not attend, and Batman found himself needed elsewhere because of a tip off.

Of course, on the inside Terry didn't feel fine, not after finding himself lambasted by the current Flash for not being _him_. Secretly, he wondered if anyone other League members thought the mantle should have gone to Nightwing, aka the first Robin. Flash, after all, rubbed in the difference in ability level every time he saw the new Batman. Plus...

" _Everything's going to easy._ "

Terry walked into the open lab without any issue, so everything _was_ going to easy, particularly considering the sight in the lab which made his eyes nearly pop out of his head.

In the middle of the room was a small boy frozen in a cryostasis pod. Above the pod were three strange creatures, yet without thinking, Terry pushed the release button, watching the boy's fingers flinch as he became conscious. The boy's eyes blinked open, his own bright blue eyes blinking a couple of times. "Batman. You came for me."

"What?" Terry's eyes narrowed, but so did the boy as he looked Terry over.

"Batman, why do you sound funny? And why are you wearing a funny Batsuit?"

Terry blinked, catching sight of the funny grin on the boy's face. "Who are you?"

"Bruce..." The boy's voice lowered to a very low whisper, his facial features losing the cocky grin. "This isn't funny. It's me. Your Robin."

"Wait. Which Robin?"

"What do you mean _which_ Robin? I'm the only..." The boy's eyes widened. "You! You replaced me!" The boy poked him in the chest with a confidence Terry never saw with any child.

"I see you got my gift?"

Terry and the boy's head turned towards the voice. A woman with dark skin stood in the doorway wearing a lab coat. "Who are you?"

"Amanda Waller."

" _Yeah, everything is still going to easy._ " Terry glared at the woman. "Who..."

"What do you want? Why did you kidnap me?" The boy spoke up quicker. "More to the point, how did you find out my secret identity, or did you learn that when you stripped me of my Robin suit."

One of Terry's eyebrows shot up, his arms crossing. The woman laughed. "Kidnapped you? You're a clone, not the original."

Terry felt the color drain from his face. " _Yeah, so not easy. The kid is a clone of one of the Robins, but this one spoke as if he were the 'only' Robin_."

"I am not a clone!"

Terry reached down, grabbing the boy's hand lightly, catching Robin off guard. From his utility belt, he took a device and pressed it against the boy's finger getting a DNA sample. He watched the boy look up at him in horror.

"Batman. Why don't you believe me?"

The boy tugged away, running. Terry called out after the boy. "Hey! Get back here!" He glared at Waller. "Why?"

"Because you're failing as Batman. There is no genetic connection between the original Batman or the original Robin."

Terry glared at the woman, choosing going after the boy over snark. In the back of his mind, what she said bothered him, as Flash pointed out something similar. The boy moved quickly through the halls moving with a great deal of agility, turning corners faster than Terry would like, yet he managed to keep up with the boy until they arrived at roof level.

Coming out on the roof, he found himself flinching as the boy turned, quickly performing a spinning kick at Terry's head. Instead of blocking the kick, Terry dodged, allowing the boy's leg to swing over him. He grabbed the leg, flinging Robin at the wall. The boy flipped, his small feet propelling him away from the wall, so he landed on his feet with ease. Robin turned, fright in his bright blue eyes. "You're not Bruce."

"What?"

"Bruce would have blocked, not dodged." The teen watched the boy look around, as if getting his bearings. "Where's Bruce?

Terry glanced at the device, noticing the DNA test still going through. The sound of the boy moving made him look up, cursing his luck as the boy leaped _off_ the building. He rushed over, thinking he'd need to dive after the boy, only to find the boy parkouring the building, making him feel nauseated slightly.

With a quick move, he tossed a tracker at the boy, knowing he'd struggle even keep up. He called in the modern Batmobile, noting the boy was heading in the direction of Wayne Enterprises. "Crap."

A beep drew his attention to the DNA test. He saw the words paternal match on the screen as he started the Batmobile up. " _So not a clone, but the biological son of the original Robin?_ " Looking closer made him curse, but want to throw up. The test claimed the clone was _his_ father, meaning...

Pushing the thoughts aside, Terry programmed the Batmobile's path to arrive at Wayne Enterprise undetected, hoping he could arrive before the boy. Yet, upon arriving at the roof, he saw Robin at the door entering. Terry cursed, removing the suit to go after the boy, wondering how he'd gotten past the Wayne Enterprise.

He dropped down into the alleyway, slipping in through the same door as the boy, hurrying as fast as he could still be tracking him. He found Robin after only a few turns, realizing the boy was going up, possibly towards where Bruce Wayne was meeting. He watched the boy's head turn, twisting slightly in fright. Terry came closer, making a grab for the boy as Wayne employees watched.

"John. What..." The boy's eyes closed as he quickly dodged. "Dead. Supposed to be JoJo." The boy took a deep breath. "Activate security protocol RG-4 lockdown level two."

Terry startled as the alarm went off but found himself sliding under a fire shield the boy was using to separate himself from Terry. A smirk appeared on his face. "Look. All you did was isolate us. You need to calm down."

"Calm down!"

The next thing Terry knew, he received a punch in the face catching him off guard, but realized the boy managed to work his way into the ventilation system. Letting out a deep breath, he climbed in after the clone, irritated they were both taking the hard way up to Wayne, but finding catching up rather difficult. He grabbed onto the boy's ankle. "Gotcha, only to find himself tumbling out."

They fell through the vent into what was obviously a meeting.

"Terry!"

His boss was mad. The clone recognized the voice. "Bruce!" The teen took a deep breath, watching the boy hurtle at Bruce as the man dropped his cane to gather the boy into his lap. The boy tensed upon realizing something. "Bruce, why is your hair grey, and your skin wrinkly?"

They had a lot to explain, and not just to the kid.


End file.
